One of the inconveniences of using loose tea is getting the tea into the tea ball and then cleaning out the ball afterwards. Some tisanes I've purchased recently have chunks of dried fruit in them, which makes getting the tisane into the tea ball without also getting leaves and herbs and assorted stuff all over the kitchen more than a bit challenging.
A company called T-Sac now makes disposable paper filter baggies for tea. They come in various sizes, including one that holds enough tea for a 12-cup pot or iced tea pitcher. The mouths of the baggies are wide enough to fit a tablespoon, making it far easier to spoon in some of the "chunkier" teas. Plus, there's the advantage of minimal clean up. Particularly when I would make tea in my office, the minimal clean up was a big advantage.
I first found the filters in a local tea shop. Conveniently, most stores that sell tea on line carry them. (For example: http://www.republicoftea.com/T-Sac-Tea-Filter-100-count/p/V00969/). Amazon even carries them (http://www.amazon.com/T-Sac-Disposable-Paper-Filter-Count/dp/B001BLCIN4).
Unlike regular tea bags, the T-Sacs retain a lot of water. When making tea using a filter baggie, plan on losing about an inch of water off the top of the cup unless you wring out the bag before disposing of it. Also keep the "sloppage" factor in mind when pulling the filter baggie out of the cup. Again, unless you use a spoon and wring the baggie out, you are going to slop tea and hot water all over your fingers and the table. I keep a little bowl nearby while I'm steeping the tea so I can deposit the used filter baggie there, let it dry out a bit, and then dispose of it.
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